Actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley says the secret behind her 23-year marriage to country star Brad Paisley can be summed up in just two words: “Don’t leave.”
The “Father of the Bride” actress recently talked about marriage, perseverance, and faith as she looked back on more than twenty years with her husband.
“I heard Jamie Lee Curtis say recently, the secret is ‘Don’t leave.’ I thought that was really, actually brilliant,” Williams-Paisley told Fox News Digital. “Yeah, just know there’s gonna be ups and downs and don’t give up. That was our secret.”
While many celebrity relationships struggle under pressure, Williams-Paisley’s comments focused on commitment, being intentional, and staying together through tough times.
The couple married in 2003 and have two sons, William “Huck” Huckleberry and Jasper. They have built a life together while balancing busy careers in Hollywood and country music. Williams-Paisley said that making time for each other takes real effort.
“We find time, we have to be deliberate about it,” she explained. “We’re married 23 years now. And we’ve also, there’s times when we’re busier and times when we’re not.”
She said that even with their busy schedules, they make the most of the time they have together. Paisley is getting ready for a summer tour, and Williams-Paisley is busy with acting, but they still put their relationship first.
The actress also shared a special moment from their recent anniversary. Paisley surprised her with a handwritten letter.
“He wrote me a letter that was really sweet, and that was a surprise, because he hadn’t written me a romantic letter in a long time, and it meant a lot to me,” she said.
Williams-Paisley also talked about a recent health challenge. She was diagnosed with partial vocal cord paralysis, which left her barely able to speak for almost two years.
Rather than letting the setback take over her life, she said it led her to healthier habits and personal growth.
“I started a regular meditation practice, I started really lifting weights in earnest, I started eating better,” she explained. “When I did finally get the surgery and everything, I had all of the benefits of all the other things that I gained while I was trying to find the answers.”
Now she says she feels “more grounded” and “more centered” because of what she learned during that difficult season.
“There are blessings in any sort of challenge,” Williams-Paisley said. “Look for those.”
Her words remind us that lasting marriages and personal healing often take perseverance, grace, and the willingness to keep going even when things are hard. For many Christian couples, this message reflects the biblical idea of covenant love: faithful, enduring, and based on commitment, not convenience.